RBANS factor structure in older adults with suspected cognitive impairment: Evidence for a 5-factor structure

Previous research has yielded minimal empirical support for the theoretically formulated five-factor structure of the RBANS, a brief, yet comprehensive standardized neuropsychological test battery used to assess cognitive impairment. The present study tested the theoretically formulated five-factor structure, as well as three alternative factor solutions, using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches. The present study utilized archival data from a clinical sample of 150 older adults who were evaluated at an outpatient neuropsychological service. A total of four RBANS models were specified using confirmatory factor analysis. Results of the five-factor model demonstrated good to excellent fit following modifications to the model. Results of chi-square difference tests demonstrated that the five-factor model was statistically superior to the two- and three-factor models (p < .001). In summary, results provide support for the theoretically derived five-factor structure of the RBANS in a clinical sample of older adults. Cautious interpretation of the RBANS index scores as five distinct cognitive domains may be warranted, particularly when there is minimal discrepancy across performance on the tests that comprise each index.